Good morning, people. I'm a 40s male from NYC. I'm interested in getting into TTRPGs, probably D&D to start. I've never played one before (I have played video games like Warcraft/BG3/Pillars), but I've been a lover of fantasy and sci-fi books, TV, movies, video games, etc. since I was a kid. And because I'm a bit older, I started looking for how to find a D&D game without having to deal with the current trend towards overt progressive politics. Which brought me here.

So far, in my research, I've seen suggestions to play D&D 3.5e and something called 'OSR', which I believe is not necessarily D&D. I've also seen suggestions for books to purchase including the D&D Rules Cyclopedia. But I don't know if that would be all I need to get started.

So, my question is, how do I get started in terms the basics? What version would be best to get started with? What books do you guys/gals recommend? Is there a recommended physical game set to buy? Do most of you play online (I've watched a few campaigns on YouTube where they use Roll20 and Discord) or in person? How do you find people to play with (unfortunately none of my friends would be interested)?

Any info and suggestions would be appreciated.

Before investing money in anything, you might want to play a few games to see if you really like it. Some people play some games then decide it isn't really for them. If you have friends that know who already play, that would be the best place to start.

OSR isn't a particular game. It is a style of game that emulates the type of play from the earlier days of the hobby. Many of the OSR games available are different flavors of early D&D editions. If you can find an OSR group that welcomes new players, then join a game and play. See if you like it first. If you do then the others in the group can help you with any game books or materials that you might need. When I first learned to play, it was about 5 or 6 months before I  got my first game set. Good luck. I hope you find a great group.

So the current edition of D&D is 5th edition. That is the game which currently the vast majority of tables are running. 3.5 was the edition running throughout the early 2000s. It was immensely popular, had a ton of books published for it, and still has a fair few players. 3.5 was spun off by another company into Pathfinder, which is still in print and in it's 2nd edition. Pathfinder 2e is probably the second most played game after 5th edition D&D.

The OSR (short for Old School Rennaissance/Rules/Revival depending on who you ask) is a loose grouping of games that are either recreations of earlier editions of D&D (1st and 2nd edition, and "Basic" D&D, which was a separate rules line running at the same time), or heavily based on them. Out of the OSR games, the biggest names are Old-School Essentials and Castles and Crusades.

All of the editions of D&D are fairly easy to learn at least the basics of, and the rules across editions are broadly similar, so familiarity in one of them will carry over well to others. As far as what you should play:

5th Edition D&D is like I said, the most played game on earth right now. That means it will be the easiest to find a game for. That's the biggest pro. It is also pretty easy to play. The con is depending on where you go, the 5th edition scene has a high percentage of woke zoomers playing, so depending on your tolerance to that, you might find the scene unwelcoming.

EDIT: there is also a new edition of D&D on the horizon, so it's unclear what the long-term prospects of 5th edition are.

3.5 I would not recommend you investing in at this point. It's out of print (though there are tons of used copies around), and has a pretty small scene playing it. Anyone who wants to play the 3.5 rules is probably playing Pathfinder at this point. Pathfinder 2e got a big bump about a year ago after Wizards of the Coast (who publish D&D) did something that pissed off a lot of players. 1st edition Pathfinder I think is a great game, and the books are published in cheaper paperback versions. It still has a respectable player base, even though 2nd edition has been out for a while. I have not played 2nd edition, but I get the impression the rules are quite complicated.

EDIT: If you have played the Pathfinder computer games (Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous), those use the 1st edition Pathfinder rules. Neverwinter Nights uses 3rd edition D&D. The old Baldur's gate games use (I believe) 2nd edition D&D, and Baldur's Gate III uses 5th edition.

With the OSR games, the biggest pro is that they are very easy to learn and play. Old School Essentials (often shortened to OSE) is not my favorite, but is probably the one to purchase. It is extremely popular. OSR games also have a pretty large scene, which is generally made up of older and more experienced players. Good if you'd rather hang out with boomers than zoomers, but you will occasionally encounter people who are a little too set in their ways.

Most RPGs have a "Core Rulebook" labeled as such, which is what you should buy first if you want to get into the game (often the only book you need to buy). The exception is D&D, which in most editions has three core books: Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual. The Player's handbook is the core rulebook in D&D. Buy that first. If you're going to play only, you won't need the other two. If you're going to DM, I recommend the Monster Manual first, and then the Dungeon Master's Guide if you feel you need it.

For a new player, I wouldn't buy anything immediately. Better to find a group you want to play with first, and then buy whatever they're playing. There are major differences between games, and they do matter, but a new player probably won't notice them that much. Also, if you end up playing online, there's a good chance someone will share you a pdf of the rulebook for free.

Playing in person is very much the experience to be preferred. The traditional way is to get some friends together and talk them into trying it, but the second way is to find a game store that sells RPGs; they often host games in the store you can join. That said, it is much easier to find games online. The standard way of doing it is to use a Virtual Tabletop system (Roll20, Foundry and Fantasy Grounds are the biggest), and then supplement that with voice chat through Discord.

Welcome to the hobby! Hope you like it and stick around.  I have two suggestions:

1. As mentioned, D&D 5th Edition is the most widely played game as of now. Get a copy of the D&D Essentials set, should be around $20. It's a decent introduction to the hobby and lets you try the game out if you can rope a few friends in and see if you like it without too much front end effort.  It's not my favorite game but it's a great way to enter the hobby

Essentials set on Amazon

2. Find an rpg meetup group in your area that takes new/beginner players. Shouldn't be hard to find one in NYC I wouldn't think.


   

You can get a free PDF download of the D&D 5th Edition Basic Rules:

https://dnd.wizards.com/what-is-dnd/basic-rules

Since D&D 5e dominates the market, its a good place to start, as far as familiarizing yourself with a set of rules.

Learning rules tends to be easy, but finding players tends to be hard.  Inquiring about games at local game shops, libraries, and bookstores might help.

I suggest joining a group or two, in part to see if you enjoy it, especially if you can find ones playing different games for you to try out. I wouldn't recommend buying anything before that, because what you play will in large part be down to the others in the group you join. It's a bit like someone saying they want to play sports, so should they buy boxing gloves? If they end up joining a running club, then they've wasted time and money on the wrong equipment.

If you want to get your feet wet first, you could try something like Alone Against the Flames, which is available free here: https://www.chaosium.com/cthulhu-adventures/

It's very different to D&D, and you won't get the social aspect of RPGs, or the ability to attempt do whatever you want, but it plays solo and should give you an idea of how the games play.

Quote from: Crusader X on March 09, 2024, 10:12:29 AM

You can get a free PDF download of the D&D 5th Edition Basic Rules:

https://dnd.wizards.com/what-is-dnd/basic-rules

This is true. Sometimes I forget that not everyone prefers physical copies. You kids these days and your digital whatsits...

EDIT: I should add that not only is D&D not my favorite system,  but WorC is pretty awful as a company too. I only make this suggestion because it is the easiest and quickest way into the hobby.

I think trying an OSR game on Roll20 or another VTT is a pretty good way to get your feet wet while likely avoiding the worst players/GMs.  I also had a good experience recruiting & running a 5e Basic game, as mentioned by others it's a good start point.

I recommend 2014 version https://media.wizards.com/downloads/dnd/DnDBasicRules(PrinterFriendly).pdf

Print copy https://www.lulu.com/shop/mike-mearls/dd-5e-basic-set-combined-edition/paperback/product-15gke8w9.html?page=1&pageSize=4

There are a LOT of 'D&D looking for group' groups on Facebook, you can pick your flavor, from original D&D to 5E.

Quote from: Percentimeter on March 09, 2024, 07:57:38 AM
Good morning, people. I'm a 40s male from NYC. I'm interested in getting into TTRPGs, probably D&D to start. I've never played one before (I have played video games like Warcraft/BG3/Pillars), but I've been a lover of fantasy and sci-fi books, TV, movies, video games, etc. since I was a kid. And because I'm a bit older, I started looking for how to find a D&D game without having to deal with the current trend towards overt progressive politics. Which brought me here.

So far, in my research, I've seen suggestions to play D&D 3.5e and something called 'OSR', which I believe is not necessarily D&D. I've also seen suggestions for books to purchase including the D&D Rules Cyclopedia. But I don't know if that would be all I need to get started.

So, my question is, how do I get started in terms the basics? What version would be best to get started with? What books do you guys/gals recommend? Is there a recommended physical game set to buy? Do most of you play online (I've watched a few campaigns on YouTube where they use Roll20 and Discord) or in person? How do you find people to play with (unfortunately none of my friends would be interested)?

Any info and suggestions would be appreciated.

What nobody has mentioned so far is that MOST of the youtube campaigns aren't very much like real play.

I'll also join in being against you buying ANYTHING before you try the hobby, Roll20 has people searching for players, you could also try and find a group searching for players near you where you could play in person.

Quote from: S'mon on March 09, 2024, 10:42:29 AM
I also had a good experience recruiting & running a 5e Basic game, as mentioned by others it's a good start point.

I recommend 2014 version https://media.wizards.com/downloads/dnd/DnDBasicRules(PrinterFriendly).pdf

Why this version?  Genuinely curious! 

Quote from: RPGer678 on March 09, 2024, 12:23:10 PM
There are a LOT of 'D&D looking for group' groups on Facebook, you can pick your flavor, from original D&D to 5E.

Facebook can be really useful for finding new players.  Even beyond dedicated "Looking for group" groups.  Most cities and towns have general Facebook groups where locals talk about everything from "Who is a good local plumber?" to giving reviews of local restaurants and businesses.  And just commenting on a wide variety of daily happenings in town.   I don't live in a huge city, but my city has at least three such general local interest Facebook groups, and I've seen posts asking about places in town to play board games and card games and yes, also TTRPGs.   With multiple replies expressing interest in such things. 

Asking about seeking or forming a local D&D game in these general town Facebook groups could yield surprisingly good results.  There are most likely other people in your area who would also like to try out D&D, but they don't know where to look for a game either.

Find a DM first. Play what they run.
A good DM can make a bad game good.
A bad DM can make a good game bad.
That is the problem with Role p look playing games unfortunately

Quote from: Crusader X on March 09, 2024, 01:20:19 PM

Quote from: S'mon on March 09, 2024, 10:42:29 AM
I also had a good experience recruiting & running a 5e Basic game, as mentioned by others it's a good start point.

I recommend 2014 version https://media.wizards.com/downloads/dnd/DnDBasicRules(PrinterFriendly).pdf

Why this version?  Genuinely curious!

The 2018 version removed some fun not OP, 'name' spells like Mordenkainen's Sword, & cleaves closer to the SRD. The current 2021(?) 'Basic' on D&D Beyond is SRD crippleware with only one Background. The 2014 version is the most open, it feels the most like a full game. 2018 is still playable.

My Roll20 5e Basic -  https://app.roll20.net/campaigns/details/16571999/dandd-5e-basic